What is meant by euthanasia?

Extracts from this document...

Introduction

What is meant by euthanasia? The word euthanasia comes from the Greek "eu" and "thanatos" and means "a good death". Nowadays it means the bringing about a quick and not painful death especially when terminally ill it is also known as mercy killing. There are six types of euthanasia: 1. Active euthanasia: this is the direct intervention of a doctor to end someone's life. This may be done in many different ways. The patient can be injected with a lethal substance, suffocated; given an overdose of drugs are the most common methods. 2. Passive euthanasia: this is withdrawing or withholding the use of the medication or life supporting machine in order to speed up their death. 3. Voluntary euthanasia: this is when it is the patient himself who requests to have euthanasia performed. 4. Involuntary euthanasia: this is ending someone's life without their permission this is known as murder. 5. Non-voluntary euthanasia: this ending the life of someone who can't give their permission (e.g. is in a coma) in their best interest. It is sometimes hard to know if it is in the patient's best interest or in the family's interest (money). 6. Doctor assisted suicide: this is very close to voluntary euthanasia but in this case the doctor gives the facilities to the patient who chooses when to do it and whether they really want to do it or not. Some doctors have machines to assist euthanasia. They prepare the machines and insert the needle in the patient's vein and the patient then only has to press a button to allow the drugs to flow through his blood stream. Living wills The law allows patients to make their own decisions about health care. Living wills are an attempt to put into practice this with respect to refusal of certain medical treatments (e.g. resuscitation) if some sort of state of incompetence shows (e.g. coma, heavy sedation, persistent vegetative state).Difficult medical decisions may have to be taken when the patient is unable to communicate. ...read more.

Middle

It is considered a gift of God: "...believers see in life something greater, namely, a gift of God's love, which they are called upon to preserve and make fruitful."(Sacred congregation for the doctrine of the Faith, May5, 1980).Catholics would agree that if God gave us life as a sign of love and as a gift, we shouldn't take it away because it would be like rejecting God. So following this, it is equally wrong to take someone's life away as it is to take your own life, both cases are considered as murder and it is wrong. In a case of terminal illness what a person needs, besides medical care is love, (from humans and from God) with which a human person should be surrounded by all those close to him/her (i.e. parents, children, friends, nurses.) The golden rule "treat others as you would like them to treat you" (Mathew 7:12) could be applied to this. Everyone would like to be loved and taken care of during the last moments of our lives, so we should do the same to the people that are suffering. That is what hospices are for. The Hospice Movement. The modern hospice movement was started by a British, Christian doctor Cicely Saunders in the late 1940s. She spent more than ten years trying to open St. Christopher's hospice in London, in 1967 as a teaching and research facility dedicated to the physical, emotional and spiritual care of the dying. Hospice spread across the U.S. and other countries and with it the painkilling medicine. In the hospices, people are helped to die with dignity and no suffering. As Cicely Saunders said: "The greatest fear of the dying and their families is the fear of pain." The aim of the hospices is to get rid of the fear of pain and loneliness which is what drives people to ask to be euthanased. ...read more.

Conclusion

Also if euthanasia was legal families that wanted money could put pressure on their relative to be euthanased. These are the main arguments for and against euthanasia, they are not necessarily related to Christianity but they are the points that people would use to argue their views on euthanasia. I personally disagree with euthanasia and I think it can never be justified. I think it is against all moral beliefs and the loss of human dignity. It is an act of selfishness and cowardice. Nowadays there are drugs that would relieve most of the pain, and even if you still have to go through some pain it is better than ending life to avoid it. People that believe they are a burden to their families should ask to be put into a hospice where they could be looked after and kept company. I agree with the doctor I quoted earlier on, I think that just because an injection is clean and silent it doesn't have to be less wrong than a bullet or a knife. Also, it is allowed in some cases to disconnect the life supporting machines or withhold medication so in the end your life could also be ended in a morally acceptable way that would at the same time shorten the pain. I understand that people might feel unwanted by their families and society but and feel like a burden. But does that mean that if anyone ever feels unwanted they can just end their life? I think it is an ungrateful way of taking life, God gives it to us and as soon as something goes slightly wrong we shouldn't throw it away. I agree that we can't make people have faith in something that they don't believe in, that by: Gabriela Lezama Leguizamon Contents: What is meant by euthanasia?.......................................page 1 - 3 Bible teachings on euthanasia.................................page 3 - 4 How do Christians respond to euthanasia?................page 4 - 6 Can euthanasia ever be justified?.................................. ...read more.

The above preview is unformatted text

This student written piece of work is one of many that can be found in our GCSE Euthanasia section.

Related GCSE Euthanasia essays

People say that how was Jack to know? He had carried out thorough investigation into the patient. He had talked to them and got an idea into their reasons for dying. His 37th patient was a woman called Rebecca Badger.

Although they cannot communicate they may be able to hear what's going on around them. If so, the decision may be made against their will. There are lots of different opinions on Euthanasia; many of the strongest views on the matter come from people in the medical profession, people working in politics or religious groups.

This led to gross amount of experimentation and genocide. Passive Euthanasia This is when you do not give treatment to a patient which would help the patient to live longer, with the intention of ending life. This could be in the form of * using life-shortening treatment : in the

- But family loves them so wants to keep them alive. They still have hope, even if its something worthless, because they are driven by their emotions to do so. . * Is it ever right or ethical for another person to end the life of a terminally ill patient who is in severe pain or enduring suffering?

Answer: nothing. Example 2: a woman is suffering from depresssion and asks to be helped to commit suicide. One doctor sets up a practice to "help" such people. She and anyone who wants to die knows he will approve any such request. He does thousands a year for $200 each.

The main debate of euthanasia is the different ideas of the value of life. Is quality better than quantity? Does the individual contribute to society? The opinions of questions such as this may shape an individual's ethical view of euthanasia.

administering a lethal injection. In the twins case it was argued that giving each bodily integrity and as a result of which on died did not constitute active euthanasia, however it certainly make the distinction far less clear. It is this second classification of euthanasia that gives rise to many